Latest news with #IslamicEmirate
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Afghanistan, Pakistan upgrade ties amid diplomatic thaw
Afghanistan welcomed the decision to upgrade ties with Pakistan to the ambassador's level, Kabul's Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi's office said on Saturday. "This elevation in diplomatic representation between Afghanistan and Pakistan paves the way for enhanced bilateral cooperation in multiple domains," the Afghan Foreign Ministry posted on X. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan welcomes the decision of the Government of Pakistan to upgrade the level of its diplomatic mission in Kabul to that of an reciprocity, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan will elevate the... — Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Afghanistan (@MoFA_Afg) May 31, 2025 Relations between the two neighbors have long been strained over Islamabad's accusations that Kabul harbors Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban. Pakistan's attempts to deport tens of thousands of Afghans have also contributed to bilateral tensions. On Friday, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar announced that the charge d'affaires in Kabul would be elevated to the rank of ambassador. He also said that their relations are "on [a] positive trajectory" since he visited Afghanistan in April. Pakistan-Afghanistan relations are on positive trajectory after my very productive visit to Kabul with Pakistan delegation on 19th April 2025. To maintain this momentum, I am pleased to announce the decision of the Government of Pakistan to upgrade the level of its Chargé… — Ishaq Dar (@MIshaqDar50) May 30, 2025 Later, Kabul announced that it would reciprocate the move. The decision came after Muttaqi met with Dar and their Chinese counterpart Wang Yi during a trilateral meeting in Beijing earlier this month. After their talks, Wang expressed Beijing's willingness "to continue to assist with improving Afghanistan-Pakistan ties." Muttaqi is due to visit Pakistan "in the coming days," ministry spokesman Zia Ahmad Takal told AFP news agency. Since Kabul fell to the Taliban in 2021, only a handful of countries have agreed to host Taliban government ambassadors. No country has officially recognized the administration. Edited by: Wesley Dockery
Russia Today
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Taliban bans chess
Afghanistan's Taliban government has banned the game of chess across the country, arguing that it is incompatible with Islamic Sharia laws. The decision was announced on Sunday. 'There are religious considerations regarding the sport of chess,' the Taliban government's sports directorate spokesman, Atal Mashwani, told AFP, adding that the game is 'considered a means of gambling,' which was outlawed under the morality laws imposed by the Islamist group. The game will remain prohibited 'until these considerations are addressed,' the spokesman stated. According to Mashwani, the national chess federation has not held any events for around two years anyway. The Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, capitalizing on the withdrawal of US forces after their two-decade presence in the Central Asian country. Upon taking power, it restricted a number of sports disciplines. Last year, it banned mixed martial arts (MMA) and other free fighting championships, declaring them too 'violent' and 'problematic with respect to Sharia.' The Taliban does not view all sports negatively, though. In January, a Taliban delegation led by acting Foreign Minister Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi discussed sports cooperation with India during talks in Dubai. Cricket, which is very popular in both countries, featured in the negotiations, according to New Delhi. In February, the Washington Post reported that Afghanistan's popular local sport of buzkashi was 'thriving' under Taliban rule despite initial fears of a ban. The equestrian sport involving horse-mounted players trying to direct a goat or a calf carcass into a goal had been prohibited during the Islamist group's first stint in power in the 1990s. Now, however, the game reportedly regularly draws audiences in the thousands, including Taliban members.
Al-Ahram Weekly
08-03-2025
- Politics
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Taliban insist Afghan women's rights protected; UN says bans cannot be ignored - International
The Taliban issued a message on International Women's Day, saying Afghan women live in security with their rights protected, even as the U.N. condemned ongoing employment and education bans. Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021, they have barred education for women and girls beyond sixth grade, most employment, and many public spaces. Last August, the Vice and Virtue Ministry published laws that ban women's voices and bare faces outside the home. The Taliban's chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, released a statement on his official X account, without specifically mentioning International Women's Day, which is celebrated on March 8. He said the dignity, honor, and legal rights of women were a priority for the Islamic Emirate, the term used by the Taliban to describe their government. Afghan women lived in security, both physically and psychologically, he added. 'Following Islamic law and the culture and traditions of Afghan society, the fundamental rights of Afghan women have been secured. However, it should not be forgotten that the rights of Afghan women are being discussed within an Islamic and Afghan society, which has clear differences from Western societies and their culture,' said Mujahid. Also Saturday, the U.N. renewed its call for the Taliban to lift the bans. 'The erasure of women and girls from public life cannot be ignored,' said Roza Otunbayeva, the head of the U.N. mission in Afghanistan. 'We remain committed to investing in their resilience and leadership, as they are key to Afghanistan's future.' Alison Davidian, special representative for U.N. Women Afghanistan, said the world could not accept a future for Afghan women that would never be tolerated elsewhere. 'Our response to their erasure is a test of our commitment to women and girls everywhere,' said Davidian. 'We must stand with Afghan women as if our own lives depend on it — because they do.' The Taliban remain isolated from the West — and without international recognition as the country's official government — because of their restrictions on women and girls. The Afghanistan Journalists Support Organization said 893 women were currently employed in the media sector. That's a drop from 2,756 who were working before 2021, according to Reporters Without Borders. There were nine provinces where there were no women in the media industry, the Afghan support organization said. The declining participation of female journalists, driven by the Taliban's discriminatory policies, signalled a 'concerted effort' to erase women from the media landscape, it said. On Friday in Paris, UNESCO hosted a high-level conference on women and girls in Afghanistan. Participants included Hamida Aman, the founder of the women-only station Radio Begum; Fawzia Khoofi, a parliamentarian from the former Western-backed government; and rights experts, including Richard Bennett, who is barred from entering Afghanistan. In an apparent dig at the event, the spokesman for the Vice and Virtue Ministry, Saif ul-Islam Khybe, said recent international conferences held under the name of women's rights exposed the hypocrisy of certain organizations and European Union foundations. Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
